Waste collection data
Case reference FOI2026/00058
Received 9 January 2026
Published 16 January 2026
Request
I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 relating to household waste and recycling collection timetables and scheduling in Herefordshire.
Please provide the information below for the most recent complete operational year available, plus the current year-to-date, and the current “live” schedules in use.
1) Collection timetables and calendars
a) Copies of the official published collection timetables/calendars used for residents (e.g., refuse, recycling, garden waste, food waste where applicable), including any ward/area variations.
b) A description of how frequently each waste stream is collected (e.g., weekly/fortnightly) and any seasonal variations (e.g., garden waste season).
2) Scheduling and route information
a) The list of waste and recycling collection rounds/routes used by the Council (or its contractor), including:
i) round/route identifiers and names,
ii) the day(s) of week each round is scheduled,
iii) the waste streams collected on each round,
iv) start and end times (or planned shift windows) for each round, and
v) the frequency/cycle pattern (e.g., Week A/Week B where relevant).
b) Any documents that explain how properties are assigned to rounds (e.g., business rules, zoning/round-building criteria).
3) Address-level schedule data (where held)
a) The dataset that links each property/UPRN (or equivalent property identifier) to its scheduled collection day(s), waste stream(s), and collection cycle (e.g., Week A/Week B), as held by the Council (or contractor on the Council’s behalf).
If full address-level detail is exempt, please provide the same information aggregated to a level you can lawfully disclose (for example: street, postcode sector, round, or similar), and cite the exemption(s) relied upon.
4) Clarifications and redactions
If any part of this request is refused, please:
- specify which exemption(s) apply and why,
- confirm whether the information is held,
- provide the non-exempt remainder, and
- advise what refinement would bring the request within the cost/time limits, if relevant (Section 12).
If the Council holds any of the above information via a contractor, please treat this request as covering information held on the Council’s behalf.
Response
I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 relating to household waste and recycling collection timetables and scheduling in Herefordshire.
Please provide the information below for the most recent complete operational year available, plus the current year-to-date, and the current “live” schedules in use.
1) Collection timetables and calendars
a) Copies of the official published collection timetables/calendars used for residents (e.g., refuse, recycling, garden waste, food waste where applicable), including any ward/area variations.
Answer: This information is publically available on our council website and can be viewed via the following link:
https://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/rubbish-and-recycling/check-your-bin-collection-day/
This link presents the days of collection for the specific premise. Residents can download a calendar after selecting their address if they require this.
As such we consider this information to be exempt under Section 21 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 because it is reasonably accessible to you via other means. Please take this letter as a refusal notice under S17 of the Act.
b) A description of how frequently each waste stream is collected (e.g., weekly/fortnightly) and any seasonal variations (e.g., garden waste season).
Answer: The Service Area have advised household general waste and recycling waste streams are collected on a frequency of every two weeks.
Garden waste has not yet been introduced but will commence 30th March 2026 on a fortnightly frequency and will operate 50 weeks of the year with no collections only over a two-week period over Christmas
2) Scheduling and route information
a) The list of waste and recycling collection rounds/routes used by the Council (or its contractor), including:
i) round/route identifiers and names,
Answer: This information is not held by Herefordshire Council.
ii) the day(s) of week each round is scheduled,
Answer: Monday to Friday
iii) the waste streams collected on each round,
Answer: This information is not held by Herefordshire Council.
iv) start and end times (or planned shift windows) for each round, and
Answer: 6:15am to 4:00pm
v) the frequency/cycle pattern (e.g., Week A/Week B where relevant).
Answer: The Service Area have advised all domestic collections are provided on an alternate weekly basis.
b) Any documents that explain how properties are assigned to rounds (e.g., business rules, zoning/round-building criteria).
Answer: This information is not held. The Service Area have advised there are no documents that explain how properties are assigned to rounds.
3) Address-level schedule data (where held)
a) The dataset that links each property/UPRN (or equivalent property identifier) to its scheduled collection day(s), waste stream(s), and collection cycle (e.g., Week A/Week B), as held by the Council (or contractor on the Council’s behalf).
If full address-level detail is exempt, please provide the same information aggregated to a level you can lawfully disclose (for example: street, postcode sector, round, or similar), and cite the exemption(s) relied upon.
Answer: This information is not held by Herefordshire Council.
4) Clarifications and redactions
If any part of this request is refused, please:
- specify which exemption(s) apply and why,
- confirm whether the information is held,
- provide the non-exempt remainder, and
- advise what refinement would bring the request within the cost/time limits, if relevant (Section 12).
If the Council holds any of the above information via a contractor, please treat this request as covering information held on the Council’s behalf.
Documents
This is Herefordshire Council's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.
You can browse our other responses or make a new FOI request.